QV - Comparison of menus: Lido, Britannia and Grills

[Pushpit]

I don't think I've seen any recent side by side menus for the Cunard vessels, and since I'm on Queen Victoria I thought I would give this update. Having recently been on QM2 it's broadly the same process there too. As you will see below, you could draw a virtual Venn diagram of where menu options overlap and don't overlap between the menus. I start off with the Dinner, and then Lunch, where the overlaps are greater than Dinner. The Princess and Queens Grills have their à la carte menu on top.

 

These are for the same day, namely today, to make the comparison, so they are not taken from different days. As with all photos on Cruise Critic, you should normally be able to see a larger size of the image by clicking on it.

 

Dinner (evening meal)

 

Lido - the buffet menu which is under the dress code in the evening. Because it's a mainly self-serve buffet the menu doesn't really present the layout or all the options, sauces and side items. Also the desserts are summarised but it's usually similar to Britannia.

 

 

Britannia and Britannia Club

 

 

Princess Grill (and I think the Queens Grill, but I'll have to check that later). The cheese trolley isn't specified but will also have more options than Britannia.

 

 

 

 

Lunch 

 

Here the differences narrow. The same menu is served in Britannia, Britannia Club, Princess Grill and Queens Grill, and I have checked those. Lido is different.

 

Lido:

 

Britannia, Britannia Club, Princess and Queens Grills

(I've used Princess Grill out of ease of photography but it's exactly the same wording for these restaurants)

 

 

 

 

 

[majortom10]

On top of the dinner menus for PG/QG are the a la carte menus which are slightly more substantial in QG than PG.

[Mickb]

Really interesting. There really isn’t a huge difference other than a bit more choice in the PG. Of course the a la carte menu widens the scope 

[alc13]

Are meals prepared in the same kitchen for all 3 restaurants (4, if you could BC)? 

[Judyrem]

Spaghetti con vongole sounds good, the others are ok.  the fish sounds good too.

 

My opinion is to make fewer entrees with better ingredients.

[NE John]

1 hour ago, alc13 said:

Are meals prepared in the same kitchen for all 3 restaurants (4, if you could BC)? 

I heard that all soups are prepared in Kings Court, even for Grills. Nothing to back that up though. 

[BigMac1953]

QG and PG ave their own dedicated galley which used to have 14 chefs.

 

Also, in QG there is the ability to go off menu as we do regularly and often have dishes which are not listed anywhere.

[WantedOnVoyage]

I even remember back when grill passengers would always be invited to visit the grill galley even cruise or crossing on a special tour... when it really was impressively small and separate. You got to meet the grill chef and even some of the staff and see the menus, recipes etc.  They have not done that for years now and one surmises the reason.  

[alc13]

40 minutes ago, NE John said:

I heard that all soups are prepared in Kings Court, even for Grills. Nothing to back that up though. 

Interesting.  The soups are usually delicious.

[Victoria2]

7 hours ago, WantedOnVoyage said:

I even remember back when grill passengers would always be invited to visit the grill galley even cruise or crossing on a special tour... when it really was impressively small and separate. You got to meet the grill chef and even some of the staff and see the menus, recipes etc.  They have not done that for years now and one surmises the reason.  

The last time we were asked if we'd like to tour the QV Grill's galley was about six years ago. Assuming the layout hasn't changed, it's not small  [think double decked with an escalator to travel between levels] but it is indeed, very impressive.

NE John,  all Grills food, unless a member of the wait staff is despatched on an immediate basis to scour the decks for a certain cheese or grab some unordered sushi from the Lido 😀]  is prepared and cooked in that galley.

 

Or so we are often reliably  informed.

Edited January 9 by Victoria2

[exlondoner]

10 hours ago, Mickb said:

Really interesting. There really isn’t a huge difference other than a bit more choice in the PG. Of course the a la carte menu widens the scope 

Sorry but isn’t the Grills dinner menu completely different from Britannia, though not necessarily nicer.

[exlondoner]

8 hours ago, Judyrem said:

Spaghetti con vongole sounds good, the others are ok.  the fish sounds good too.

 

My opinion is to make fewer entrees with better ingredients.

2 meat, 1 fish, 2 veggie choices seems meagre at best. I certainly wouldn’t want the choice further reduced.

[rhiannon84]

I’ve done both Britannia and Princess Grill, and there definitely is a difference in the food quality, even when the menu is the same. The blueberry compote for the pancakes springs to mind, as well as the miso aubergine. I found Britannia is fine, but PG is really delicious!

[exlondoner]

8 hours ago, WantedOnVoyage said:

I even remember back when grill passengers would always be invited to visit the grill galley even cruise or crossing on a special tour... when it really was impressively small and separate. You got to meet the grill chef and even some of the staff and see the menus, recipes etc.  They have not done that for years now and one surmises the reason.  

I remember a Grills Galley Tour being offered not longer before Covid. 2018? 2019? Didn’t go though.

[Pushpit]

2 hours ago, exlondoner said:

Sorry but isn’t the Grills dinner menu completely different from Britannia, though not necessarily nicer.

Sticking to the factual, I would point out that both Grills and Britannia offer 5 main course options for dinner. 3 of the 5 dishes are the same (lamb and the 2 non-meat options). Of the other two, Britannia got Lemon Sole, Grills got Salmon; then Britannia got Chicken Escalope, Grills got Turkey Breast. Then it's a personal preference as to what works for you.

[exlondoner]

3 minutes ago, Pushpit said:

Sticking to the factual, I would point out that both Grills and Britannia offer 5 main course options for dinner. 3 of the 5 dishes are the same (lamb and the 2 non-meat options). Of the other two, Britannia got Lemon Sole, Grills got Salmon; then Britannia got Chicken Escalope, Grills got Turkey Breast. Then it's a personal preference as to what works for you.

The lamb dishes are completely different, and I think there is a significant difference in the starters and puds. too, if we are going to have a few more facts. Ice creams are the same though.

[Host Hattie]

There may be lamb on both menus but it's not the same dish. I've always enjoyed the lamb rump but others have reported it as fatty. I'd rather have Rack of lamb from the Grills!

[Austcruiser84]

Is it the case that BC get a slightly more elevated dinner menu than Britannia? 

[Host Hattie]

Just now, Austcruiser84 said:

Is it the case that BC get a slightly more elevated dinner menu than Britannia? 

The Daily Menu is the same but there are additional a la carte options in Britannia Club. 

[Austcruiser84]

Just now, Host Hattie said:

The Daily Menu is the same but there are additional a la carte options in Britannia Club. 

Thanks! What additional a la carte options might I find? Will be trying BC next year (right after a stint in PG, which may be foolish 🙂).

[Pushpit]

1 minute ago, Austcruiser84 said:

Thanks! What additional a la carte options might I find? Will be trying BC next year (right after a stint in PG, which may be foolish 🙂).

I haven't got a post pandemic example to show you, but from memory it will be things like a steak option, some pasta related options (spaghetti or lasagne), and there is roast chicken in there.  Having said that, if someone in main Britannia really had a problem with the meal options then (a) there is a second menu, more for those with allergies and (b) they can offer similar items from that Club menu to main Britannia customers and (c) if all else fails, items from the room service menu can also be served. In my Crossing report for QM2 in December 2023 there were some anecdotes from this happening.

 

 

[exlondoner]

10 minutes ago, Host Hattie said:

There may be lamb on both menus but it's not the same dish. I've always enjoyed the lamb rump but others have reported it as fatty. I'd rather have Rack of lamb from the Grills!

Though it is a bit of a con having it as a main menu item in QG, as an almost identical, if somewhat more expansive, dish is on the alc. 

[Austcruiser84]

6 minutes ago, Pushpit said:

I haven't got a post pandemic example to show you, but from memory it will be things like a steak option, some pasta related options (spaghetti or lasagne), and there is roast chicken in there.  Having said that, if someone in main Britannia really had a problem with the meal options then (a) there is a second menu, more for those with allergies and (b) they can offer similar items from that Club menu to main Britannia customers and (c) if all else fails, items from the room service menu can also be served. In my Crossing report for QM2 in December 2023 there were some anecdotes from this happening.

 

 

The curse of choice 🙂 I don’t think I’d ever have to resort to the room service menu (which I noticed in Sept was a lot leaner than pre-pandemic). I have yet to had a bad meal on a Cunard ship. I’m sure I’ll enjoy whatever is served up. Curious also to try the new specialty restaurants on QA. 

[Pushpit]

1 minute ago, exlondoner said:

Though it is a bit of a con having it as a main menu item in QG, as an almost identical, if somewhat more expansive, dish is on the alc. 

I can see that point of view but this is just one day in the spotlight. Luckily there is a good turnover of options. I think the broader point is that unless someone is very fussy with their food, you're not going to starve, and that overall it's a good dining experience, whether in Britannia, Club or Grills. Grills can be said to be better for a number of reasons, as one would perhaps expect. 

 

And then, of course, there are the Alternative Dining options......

[Austcruiser84]

1 minute ago, Pushpit said:

I can see that point of view but this is just one day in the spotlight. Luckily there is a good turnover of options. I think the broader point is that unless someone is very fussy with their food, you're not going to starve, and that overall it's a good dining experience, whether in Britannia, Club or Grills. Grills can be said to be better for a number of reasons, as one would perhaps expect. 

 

And then, of course, there are the Alternative Dining options......

In QG I like to order off menu almost exclusively. It’s fun watching what people at other tables order and to try new dishes.